Shorts Seamew Ideas

[upnorth]

It looks like Sword just released a 1/72 Shorts Seamew, definitely nothing I imagined ever seeing in injection form:

https://swordmodel.cz/en/home/188-sw72157-short-seamew-.html

The first thing I thought is that it's just begging for a cropduster conversion.

It's rather bigger than your average ag-plane, but it has the right build for the task: fixed landing gear, lots of clearance underneath for sprayer/spreader gear, a front cockpit with good visibility and a rear cockpit to strip out and replace with a hopper.

What I'm really wondering is if would be possible to lighten it enough to replace the Mamba with a version of the PT6 engine. Perhaps doing the following would get it there:

Remove radar and radome
Replace naval wings with lighter, non folding ones
Strip cockpit down to basic instruments
Remove carrier launch/recovery gear
Replace landing gear with a lighter, non-carrier rated version


I'm thinking PT6 as one of those powers the Pilatus PC-6 Turboporter and it's just a bit smaller than the Seamew in length and span. The trouble is the empty weight of the Seamew is around 1600 kg more than that of the PC-6. From what I can find, the Mamba weight about 400 kg dry, so just pulling that out would go a long way.


What would you folks do with a Seamew?

[apophenia]

... nothing I imagined ever seeing in injection form:

A statement that forms in my mind with almost every new release!

...
What I'm really wondering is if would be possible to lighten it enough to replace the Mamba with a version of the PT6...

If the idea is to convert retired Seamews, those ex-RN airframes were retired before the PT6A ever flew. So, for 1950s conversions, I'd just keep the Mamba.

If, on the other hand, you're thinking what-if the last Seamews were stored at Sydenham instead of scrapped ... would those airframes still be around/viable in 1969 when the PT6T Twin-Pac appeared? That might work.

...
What would you folks do with a Seamew?

Not all that different from your ag-plane idea would be a waterbomber conversion.

[upnorth]

If the idea is to convert retired Seamews, those ex-RN airframes were retired before the PT6A ever flew. So, for 1950s conversions, I'd just keep the Mamba.

If, on the other hand, you're thinking what-if the last Seamews were stored at Sydenham instead of scrapped ... would those airframes still be around/viable in 1969 when the PT6T Twin-Pac appeared? That might work.

Fair points, or maybe they try to sell them right after retirement and actually find a buyer for them who then develops a conversion program for them and keeps them going so that they never really stop flying for all that long.

[Old Wombat]

It's rather bigger than your average ag-plane

So's the An-2 Colt but that was an ag workhorse for decades ... & decades ... & decades! 

[Old Wombat]

The Seamew was underpowered for naval operations but not necessarily ag work.

If you wanted to lighten the design, your first step would be to build rigid wings, rather than folding, then take out all the ASW avionics & change the landing gear to less robust, non-carrier rated struts.

There's nothing implicitly wrong with retaining the Mamba, it's powerful enough & sucks a bit less fuel than piston engines of similar power, whilst weighing only about a third as much as those piston engines.

[GTX_Admin]

I love the ag-plane or waterbomber ideas.  Looking at the type without the radome and with weapons bay it would be idea:



Another idea might be for a land based Army Co-op bird - possibly either EW or AEW.  A bit like the AEW Defender or RC-12 Guardian but smaller and earlier:

[GTX_Admin]

Re re-engining ideas, here is some food for thought:



Most versions of the PT6 are not powerful enough, even granting for the reduced weight.  The -68 as shown is but it was not really available until much later I believe.  One interesting option might be the twin-pack PT6T (as used in the Bell 212) but in a turbo-prop vs turboshaft application.  While this would necessitate a bit wider nose it would probably still fit the bill.  And let's be honest, it won't do any more damage to the looks...

[apophenia]

... The -68 as shown is but it was not really available until much later I believe.  One interesting option might be the twin-pack PT6T (as used in the Bell 212) but in a turbo-prop vs turboshaft application.  While this would necessitate a bit wider nose it would probably still fit the bill...

Yeah, the PT6A-68 series didn't appear until the mid-'90s, IIRC. The PT6T-3 first flew in 1969. In theory, the PT6T-3 could produce 1,800 shp - the limitation back then was the Twin Huey's gearbox.

Compared to the PT6A, the PT6T pair sit back-to-front. IOW, the intakes move to the front. So, that wider nose would be essential. Based on the cutaway drawing, it looks like there'd be plenty of room for the Twin-Pac's reversed driveshaft.

... And let's be honest, it won't do any more damage to the looks...

 

Another option for direct Mamba replacement would be the 1,500 shp Turbomeca Turmo. Or, go nuts and ditch the fuselage engine(s) altogether and mount a PT6A (or Turbomeca Astazou?) on either wing?

[GTX_Admin]

Another option for direct Mamba replacement would be the 1,500 shp Turbomeca Turmo.

Adding to the above dimensions:

Length: 1.82m
Diameter: 716 mm
Dry weight: 325 kg

So a definite possibility.  It was used in a turboprop version too - for the Breguet Br 941S:

[GTX_Admin]

RR Gnome/GE T58 might also be an option

[upnorth]

Some interesting engine ideas, I hadn't really looked deeply into the French options.

Part of my re-engining idea also came from the possibility that the retired fleet could be sold to a customer where the Mamba wasn't common and support for it was hard to come by.

[Frank3k]

I like the idea of moving the engines to the wings. This image that Greg posted - if you squint at it - could look like a wing mounted engine

I love the ag-plane or waterbomber ideas.  Looking at the type without the radome and with weapons bay it would be idea:

The extra space in the fuselage could be used for cargo and an observation/sensor glazed area in the nose (or solid, for a radar)

Oh and in honor of BdB - give the fixed landing gear spats.

[apophenia]

... Oh and in honor of BdB - give the fixed landing gear spats.

Yes!